As an actor, Danny Dyer is used to memorising lines for the roles he plays. But his passionate plea for Jarrod Bowen’s inclusion in England’s World Cup squad sounded as if they did not require any practice.
“It’s been hard for him because he has been carrying us (West Ham United) for a f***ing long time, so you can tell he’s shattered,” Dyer, who is the father of Dani, Bowen’s wife, and grandfather to the couple’s twin daughters Summer and Star, told The Peter Crouch Podcast last week.
“The pressure of it: being a captain and the fact that we’re having a bad season. I see comments online of fans digging him out, but we’d be s*** without him. He could potentially go on to be our greatest-ever player. It winds me up (the criticism he gets).
“He should be on the plane to the World Cup. Now there’s a thing about (Bukayo) Saka: Oh, because he’s a sexy-looking player and he’s silky, and all this b*******. (But) look at his numbers this season, what the f*** has he done? So why is he on the right wing, definitely, over Jarrod?
“I don’t understand it because what you will get from Jarrod is a shift, and he will definitely at least put two beautiful balls across that box for someone on a plate. Now there’s this thing about (Noni) Madueke being second in line to Saka. Madueke will have his day; I think he has real potential. But Jarrod’s now nearly 30, give him his shot. This is his last time to get on the f***ing plane.”
This season, in a struggling West Ham side, Bowen has registered 10 goals and seven assists across 34 appearances in all competitions. And international recognition did arrive this month, with Bowen earning a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
But there is credibility to Dyer’s argument that Bowen is underused and underappreciated by England. The West Ham captain, who has scored once in 20 caps, is competing with fellow wingers Saka, Madueke, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford for a starting spot ahead of this summer’s competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and will likely be viewed as a backup/rotation option if selected.
Take, for example, when The Athletic asked writers to select their 26-man squad for the World Cup. Only two out of seven selected Bowen, while even the inclusion of promising talent Max Dowman ahead of him shows he is not universally appreciated.
Yet, of all the English attacking players in the Premier League this season, Bowen ranks highest for goals and assists this season (14). Morgan Rogers, of Aston Villa, is second with 13.
PlayerGoals + AssistsGames PlayedMinutes PlayedBig Chance Created
Jarrod Bowen
14
31
2778
9
Morgan Rogers
13
31
2757
10
Danny Welbeck
12
30
1826
3
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
11
28
2119
2
Morgan Gibbs-White
11
31
2646
3
Ollie Watkins
10
30
2305
1
Cole Palmer
10
20
1426
3
Phil Foden
10
26
1813
8
Bukayo Saka
9
27
2001
9
Anthony Gordon
8
25
1743
5
Eberechi Eze
8
26
1504
4
Harvey Barnes
5
30
1657
3
Noni Madueke
3
20
899
4
Dominic Solanke
3
12
780
0
Bowen’s versatility would be beneficial during tournament football, too, while his winner in the Conference League final in 2023 showed he can thrive in big moments. And as mentioned by Dyer, take a look at Bowen’s competition for England. Saka has struggled with consistency for large parts of Arsenal’s title-chasing campaign, and so too has fellow club team-mate Madueke, who has a paltry return of two goals in 20 league appearances.
Newcastle United duo Gordon and Barnes have scored 11 league goals between them in 2025-26, but Barnes’ last (and only) cap for England was against Wales in October 2020. Marcus Rashford, who is on a season-long loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, has registered 10 goals and 10 assists across 39 appearances this season.
It makes Bowen’s form all the more impressive, given he has been tasked with more defensive responsibilities under head coach Nuno Espirito Santo as West Ham fight relegation. There is now an acceptance at West Ham that Bowen no longer has to carry the attacking burden, having finished as the club’s top scorer in the league for four of the last five seasons.
“I don’t see his form dipping, honestly,” said Nuno in January in his pre-match press conference before the 3-2 defeat by Chelsea. “I think he’s doing really, really well. The work that he’s putting in every minute of the game is extraordinary. We are aware that he has his personal objective to go to the World Cup, which I think should and must happen because he’s a fantastic player. I think Thomas (Tuchel) cannot afford not to have him around.”
Seven of Bowen’s 20 caps have been starts, but he has yet to play a full match under the England manager. The last time he played 90 minutes for the national team was in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2024 under Gareth Southgate.
Jarrod Bowen warms up with Eberechi Eze ahead of England’s friendly against Bosnia in June 2024 (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Bowen will hope to leave a lasting impression during this international break before he resumes club matters. His inspired words during the previous England camp in November for games against Serbia and Albania should be uppermost on his mind.
“What I’m up against is Bukayo, while Noni, who is injured for this camp, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden can all play there (right wing). You’re talking about world-class, elite players and I’m in the same category as them,” he told The Independent.
“Bukayo has proved it at international and club level. For me, it’s about pushing myself and pushing Bukayo as well. Give the manager a headache and give Bukayo a headache.”
